The research documentation of Rotch Travelling Scholar Christopher Karlson is now available as a print-on-demand book. Image courtesy of Christopher Karlson.

After Christopher Karlson won the coveted Rotch Travelling Scholarship in 2011, he was required to document his research as images, drawings, and text to be submitted as a compilation report to the Rotch Trustees. Now, that report is finally available to the public as a print-on-demand book.

The 363-page document shows Karlson's yearlong journey to 35 European performance arts landmarks as an exploration of commercialized culture in the 'post-Bilbao' period (1997 to the present).

More details on Karlson's research right below:

"Research Brief: A total of 35 examples of performing-arts-based architecture - spanning almost 240 years of civic metamorphosis - was observed in 28 autonomous cities using Europe’s crowded and competitive urban network as a point of reference and comparative analysis."

"The intention is to investigate the results of such completed projects that all encounter distinctive urban scales, cultural settings, and political footing - with focus on engagement in urban regeneration strategies (from localized communities to entire city districts) and the geopolitical desire to publicize in a competitive globalized society.

Of the selected observations, 16 were chosen as case studies that spotlight the planning and construction efforts in a ‘post-Bilbao’ period (from 1997- today) - representing almost 6 million square feet of new cultural space and over $5 billion in capital investment."

For further reading on Karlson's research, click here. The book is also available for purchase here.